# Episode 108: Giving robots the sense of touch - Anuradha Ranasinghe

- Show: [Robot Talk](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk)
- Published: 2025-02-07
- Length: 22m
- Episode: 108
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2025-02-07-episode-108-giving-robots-the-sense-of-touch-anuradha-ranasinghe
- Listen: https://ukrobotics.libsyn.com/episode-108-anuradha-ranasinghe-giving-robots-the-sense-of-touch

## Summary

Anuradha Ranasinghe, a senior lecturer in robotics at Liverpool Hope University, discusses her research into haptic sensors for robotics and wearable technology. She explains the challenges of replicating human touch, focusing on material selection for diverse environments like nuclear plants and medical surgery, and the importance of integrating vision, force, and temperature sensing. Ranasinghe details a specific project using deformable silicon and UV-marked patterns to create a sensor that mimics human reflex reactions, achieving a response time of 443 milliseconds for temperature detection between 31 and 50 Celsius. The conversation highlights the shift toward multimodal perception, combining haptics with computer vision and audition to give robots a richer understanding of their environment.

## Chapters

- [0:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2025-02-07-episode-108-giving-robots-the-sense-of-touch-anuradha-ranasinghe#t=7) Introduction: Anuradha Ranasinghe and Haptics
- [2:19](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2025-02-07-episode-108-giving-robots-the-sense-of-touch-anuradha-ranasinghe#t=139) Defining Haptics: Sensing vs. Feedback
- [5:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2025-02-07-episode-108-giving-robots-the-sense-of-touch-anuradha-ranasinghe#t=307) Challenges: Materials and Communication Delays
- [7:14](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2025-02-07-episode-108-giving-robots-the-sense-of-touch-anuradha-ranasinghe#t=434) State of the Art: Computer Vision vs. Haptics
- [9:31](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2025-02-07-episode-108-giving-robots-the-sense-of-touch-anuradha-ranasinghe#t=571) Applications: Disaster Rescue and Medical Teleoperation
- [12:18](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2025-02-07-episode-108-giving-robots-the-sense-of-touch-anuradha-ranasinghe#t=738) The JellSens Project: Mimicking Human Reflexes
- [17:56](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2025-02-07-episode-108-giving-robots-the-sense-of-touch-anuradha-ranasinghe#t=1076) Miniaturization and Multimodal Perception
- [20:17](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2025-02-07-episode-108-giving-robots-the-sense-of-touch-anuradha-ranasinghe#t=1217) Future of Robotics: AI and Multi-Sensory Integration

## Topics

- [Sensors & measurement in products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sensors)
- [Robotics & autonomy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/robotics-and-autonomy)
- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)
- [Mechanical engineering](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/mechanical-engineering)
- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Liverpool Hope University (company)
- King's College London (company)
- JellSens Sensor (product)
- MIT (company)
- NHS (company)
- virtual wards (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Event-Driven E-Skins Protect Both Robots and Humans](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2025-07-08-event-driven-e-skins-protect-both-robots-and-humans) (EE Times Current)
- [Event-Driven E-Skins Protect Both Robots and Humans](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2025-07-08-event-driven-e-skins-protect-both-robots-and-humans-6d461685) (EE Times Current)
- [178. Talk to The Hand: Meet The Robots With a Human Touch](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2024-06-11-178-talk-to-the-hand-meet-the-robots-with-a-human-touch) (The Next Byte Podcast)
- [Perceiving Touch With Event-Based Neuromorphic Computing](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2023-12-15-perceiving-touch-with-event-based-neuromorphic-computing) (EE Times Current)
- [Digitizing Human Touch and Feel w/ Youssef Benmokhtar](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2023-10-03-digitizing-human-touch-and-feel-w-youssef-benmokhtar) (The Manufacturing Executive)

## Citing this page

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